KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tight end Travis Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes headline the list of six Chiefs players selected to the 2020 AFC Pro Bowl roster.
Kelce earned his fifth-straight Pro Bowl nomination as the starter at tight end for the AFC roster. Mahomes, earning his second Pro Bowl honor, was named as a backup behind Baltimore's Lamar Jackson. Mahomes finished third in fan voting for the Pro Bowl among all players, trailing only Jackson and Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones, defensive end Frank Clark and return specialist Mecole Hardman were also elected starters for the AFC roster. It's the first Pro Bowl appearance for each player. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill earned his fourth-straight Pro Bowl nod.
The Chiefs earned the third-most number of Pro Bowl players trailing Baltimore with 12 and New Orleans with seven.
Hardman was the sole Chiefs player to win the fan voting at his position, earning the top spot for return specialist. He's one of three rookies named to the Pro Bowl along with San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa and New Orleans kick returner Deonte Harris.
He recently told Chiefs Digest he appreciated the support of the fans.
“I've still got some more games left,” Hardman said. “Hopefully I can keep that going. It would be nice to go to my first Pro Bowl, but obviously there are bigger goals that we're trying to accomplish right now.”
Hardman ranks fourth in the AFC with a 23-yard average on kick returns. He's average 10.3 yards on 13 punt returns, which doesn't qualify for the league average. Among players with at least 12 returns, he ranks third in the league.
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said Hardman says opponents are paying “total respect” to Hardman in the return game.
“Take a look at the punts and see the punts that we're getting,” Toub says. “We're getting out of bounds punts, we're getting sideline punts. There's not question they respect him.”
Players for the Pro Bowl rosters are determined by consensus votes fans, players and coach with each group counting one-third in the selection process.
The 2020 Pro Bowl takes place Jan. 26 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. It's the one game Chiefs players wouldn't mind missing, however, since it takes place one week before the Super Bowl.
